Process of refining iron.



this specification.

; hearth SAliIUEL l3. SHELDON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

riiocnssor murmurs isou.

Specification of Letters P93045112 Patented Sept. 15,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it know i that l, SAMUEL B. SHELDON, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Buffalo, in the county of Eric and State of Now York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Refining Iron; and I do lisrel'iy declare that the follow in is it full, clear, and exact. description thereof, relorcnco boil 4 had to tho soc-om:- panying drcwi'lz-gs, and to the letters oi rotcrenco niorli'cd maroon, which form a part oi This n'rvoniiion to on improved process of refining iron for tho ,uulnufocturo of stool and more (Especially to iii!PI'OV'OlllGIltS in the process by which partially refined iron, or iron which has been to extent pro- Yiously dcsiliconizml. and dccnrburizelil, is subjected in on open hearth furnace to the action of c basic slug, for the purpose of dephosphorizlng and otherwise further refining the some.

Tho object oi tho invention is to provido o i process whereby the rciiniu operation can or carried to romplclicu in loss time than is mired in any ol' the process s l'icrctol'orc cud ,h s saying oi materials and iiuisherl product.

Elly invr-ution only be used generally in connection with any refining process in which partially refined and docrburizcd iron subjected, in an c on heart-h furnace, to tho action of a basic s a-g for tho purposc of dephosphoriziug and furtho refining the same. As for instance, it may be used in connection with the prior proc in which pig-iron which has been presin iliconizod or pig iron originally low .11 slioon, is hosted iii i lJflSlC- open mace with scrap stool, limestone, iron-1 l in the form of scale, cinder or iron oro, ,nd iluor spur or othor Hurt; the pi iron and. scrap being usually used iii. the proportions of 50% oi ouch. lily invention may also be uscd in connection with What is known as the "duplcx process, as now practiced, in which the moltcn pig-lino or iron from it blast furnace is first blown in a Bcssemcr or acid lincd converter for rho purpose of removing thcrci'roiu the silicon and port oi tho carbon, and tho dosmronizod iron is thou, in o hloltcn condition, and with such carbon conlicnl's ol' the to: .rtcr as only lac found dcsirzihlc, churgcd into on open lica-rtli prcviouslj; dcsiliconized retain in tho open furnace with limestone, iron orc or ornor 1IOI1OX1(1.

It has been proposed heretofore to carry on I tho general process above referred to by proporing an artificial basic slag basic n'iutorials with iron ore, in a. so crate furnace, from which the molten s ag is drawn and transferred to a refining furnacenioltcn iron to by fusing tho into which is introduced the be trcntul, and ithas also been proposed to licorth furnace, after are lining operation, it part of the charge of ir-olt'en metal, with a portion of the covering the some, to add limestone and iron-oxid to rcplouish tho basic material in thc slag and to pour molten pigdron through the molten slog the process in this Way being made continuous. in either of those processes, cxcept that using an artificial liquid slog;- prepared in a scparatc furnace, the charge in the open hearth furnace must be subjected to the tion of heat for c considerable period of time because of the time required to first effect fusion of the limestone and iron oxid and to then produce reaction between the basic mow torinls and the PliOSPllOIuS in the metal, by which tlic phosphorus combines with the basic elements of the slag in the form of u phosphoric, and other impurities are oxidized, it being necessary to complete the fusion of the basic materials and the formation of the slag before the dephosphorization and oxidation can take place.

In carrying out the refining process as above described it has been customary to rotain the refined metal with some of the in the ladle when the heat is tapped or run from tho l'nrnacc and about 50% of the slag is allowed to run over the edge oi the ladlo into a mold; the remainder being retained and dumped from the ladle after the metal is poured therefrom. The portion of the run int-o the mold is afterwards used in a blast furnace While that retained in the ladle is (lumped upon the slug pile as Waste. The slag thus thrown away contains from 2% to 4% of What is known as "shOtte-d metal, and a large proportion. of basic 1119s lcrial, all of which has been wast-ed.

ln carrying outmy improved process I proceedus follows: An initial charge is propzrrcd in an open hearth i'urnlu'o b intro- (lucing tlicrcin nmieriuls no: ary for formingthc basic slag and tho iron to be treated.

desiliconized and partially decarburized by treatment in a Bessemer ,converter or in an open hearth furnace. If proceeding according to the so-oalled duplex process, the iron will be transferred while in a molten condition from the converter, together with some slag from the Bessemer blow if. desirable.

At the end of the refin'ing operation the furnace is tapped and a portion of the slag allowed to run over the top of the ladle which receives it, this amount being about 50 of the slag-made in the heat. The slag which is so allowed to run over the top of the ladle is, while still in a molten condition, poured into an auxiliary furnaceadapted to receive it. To the slag so transferred into the auxiliary furnace is added lime in sufficient quantity to supply the amount ofbasic material needed for a subsequent operatlon, together with enough fiuor spar or other flux to maintain the slag in liquid condition. Heat is applied to tl1e auxiliaryfurnac'efso far asis necessary to, keep the contents thereof in a molten condition and in readiness for use in the refining furnace. In practice it is intended to maintain the aux iliary furnace full of this slag, or that it shall contain enough slag for a number of heats. The slag so prepared in the auxiliary fur- .nace is drawn out in proper amount for a heat and transferred to the refining-furnace. The desiliconized iron is then charged into the-refining furnace and another heat is carried on as before; about 50 of the slag resulting from the heat being reserved and re.- turned to the auxiliary furnace and a proportionate quantity of fresh basic material therein added to it, while the remaining 50 is'kept for use in a blast furnace.

The basic slag )repare'd in the auxiliary furnace by the at dition of fresh basic materials to the molten slag reserved from each heat in the open hearth furnace is main tained in a suitably basic condition by the addition of lime in proportion depending upon the pig-iron; The quantity of slag needed for a given heat also varies by the amountof phosphorus and sulfur to be removed from the iron.

The advantages gained by my process are a saving of the lime contents of the initial 'slag; the saving of the initial heat of the slag;

the maintenance in condition for use of a quantity of dephosphorizing-slag, whereby issavcd the time and heat necessary to burn in'the refining furnace the limestone which, in the basic process ordinarily used, is added to the basic bath; the ability to have the hearth of the refining furnace covered with slag, thereby protecting it from the. action of the metal, the saving of time and expense quantity of silicon in the original due to the'lessened destruction of the re fractory lining of the refining furnace and p the increased rapidity of the entire operation, resulting in an increased product from the refining furnace in a given period of time.

In applying my invention to what is known as the duplex process, the volume of slag required is smaller than in other cases for several reasons. pared slag is drawn from the auxiliary furnace in proper amountand placed in the refining furnace. The molten metal from the converter is then pouredfthrough this slag, producing an immediate and rapid dephosphorizing and deoxidizing action. By rea- In this case the preson of the comparatively high temperature of the molten nietal'as it is delivered to the refining furnace and the oxidizing condition of the slag coming from the converter, the

OPGIfltlOIIlS very rapid, resulting in a largely increased'produ'ct as compared with the processes in which cold pig-iron and scrap, or molten pig-iron, are introduced into the converter. Furthermore, when my improved process is employed as above described,

shotted metal contained in the slag at the I end of the refining operation gradually accumulates in the hearth of the auxiliary furnace, and being practically carbonless re mains on the bottom of the hearth in a lastic or pasty condition. When this re ned iron has accumulated in sufficient amount, molten pig-iron is poured into the auxiliary furnace, which causes the recarbonization of said refined'iron and it is then liquefied and poured. into a ladle, transferred to a steel furnace, and made into finished steel. My process therefore enables this appreciable quantity of shottec metal, which is now ordinarily thrown away with the slag, to be saved.-

My process differs from the rior one in wluch an artificial slag is prcparec in an auxil- 'iary furnace ifor the reason that in said prior process there is no attempt to utilize the initial heat of the slag from a preceding heat in the refining furnabe or to recover the shotted metal in the slag from the refining furnace. Ordinarily the only use made of basic open hearth slag is to work a certain portion thereof through a blast-furnace. This, of course, has a tendency toincrease the phosphorus in the pig-iron, and the practice is to work the slag in a specific furnace making pi -iron for the open hearth recess, fora Wee and omit its use'in such urnace for a succeeding week; this amounting practically to the utilization of 50% of the amount of slag made. According to my process, all of the slag made could be utilized, 50% thereof in preparing the slag for a subse uent heat and the remaining 50% in the blast furnace.

The saving in speed in the operation, arising from the avoldance of the necessity of spending time to make a fresh slag for each 4 charge, to ether with the saving of the lime contents 0 the slag, affords an im ortant ad vantage over prior processes. he advantage of my process when used in connection with the duplex process, is .very great, because the operation in that .case can be carried out in a very short time, owing to the rapidity of the reaction due to the introduction of the molten metal from the converter into the charge of highly heated liquid slag, and the saving of time resulting from the introduction into the refining furnace, in readiness for-the refining operation, of the'liquid basic slag previously prepared in the auxihary furnace. i

I claim as my invention v 1. The improvement in the art of refining iron which consists in transferring to an auxilsaid auxiliary furnace, while still in a molten condition, into 'arefinin as part of the charge' operation. I 7

2. The improvement in the art of refining furnace, to be used for another refining iron which consists in transferring-to an auxilia furnace slag remaining at the end of a re ing operation, adding fresh basic material to thesla'g in such auxiliary fur mice in quantities sufficient to maintain uniform basicefliciency, a plying heat fothe slag in such auxiliary urnace to fusekthe .fresh basic material and keep the slag theft? in in a molten condition, transferring a part of the slag from sald auxiliary furnace into a refining furnace as the charge for another refinin operation, and adding unrefined or partial y refined pig-iron or steel a-molten state to the slag in said refining furnace.

3. The improvement. in the art of refining iron which consists in transferring to an auxiliary furnacezslag remaining at the end of a refining o veration, adding fresh bas c material to t e slag in' s'aid auxiliary furnace, applying heat to the slag in said auxiliary furnace to fuse the added basic material and keen the slag'ina molten condition, allowing" th'e shotted metal in said slag to accumulate insaid auxilia furnace, transferrin slag from said auxiliary furnace hile stil' in a;

molten condition into a refining furnace to be used as part of the charge for another refining operation, and adding pig metal in liquid or solid form to theshotted metal which accumulates 1n said auxiliary furnace.

, The improvement'in the art of refining I iron which consists in transferring to a blast furnace a portion of the slag remaining at the end 'of a refining operation, transferring to an auxiliary furnace another part of such' slag, adding to the slag in said auxiliary furnace fresh additions of; basic material in quantity sufficient to maintain uniform basic efiiciency, applying heat t0 the slag in such terials and keep the slag in'molten condition,

furnace to a. refining fiu'nace. ;jf01' use in another refiningoperation. v,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as presence of two witnesses; this 12th day of January A. 1). 1 9 i it l 2, g v

p A. O. BYAM,

v A. H. Voonn SHELDON.

'70 auxiliary furnace, to fuse the added basic ma -and .trar'isfen'ing slag from-"said auxiliary my invention I aflix my 'signature in the; 

